


Cultural Exchange

by stellarmnky



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alvin is bisexual, Crack Relationships, Gaius is bi-curious, M/M, let's roll with that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 14:24:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2391608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarmnky/pseuds/stellarmnky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alvin and Gaius end up witnessing Ludger's older brother getting it on with someone during a fractured dimension expedition. Gaius mistakes the act as an Elympios custom he had never heard about before and decides he wants to try it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cultural Exchange

It always seemed to happen when they least expected it, so today was no exception. Business as usual for Spirius' special agent Ludger Kresnik, receiving sudden calls from Vera with news that a new fracture dimension had been detected. Alvin happened to bump into him and Elle while accompanying Leia down the streets of Trigleph on another one of her researches, her prey this time being no one other than the king of Rieze Maxia - or rather "Erston" as he preferred to be referred as these days - but despite her best efforts 'Your Highness' remained impassive. They had agreed to wait until his undercover mission was over before considering interviews, after all. He did not seem to object on engaging in small talk though, so that's what they were doing when Ludger's ringtone rang from his back pocket.

Once he hang up, their invitation to join him on his mission came naturally. After all they had done it quite a few times now and as much as he would have trouble admitting aloud, Alvin had taken a liking to seeing what other dimensions were like and where exactly they diverged from the prime one. Blinding light engulfed them and in the blink of an eye they were back into Trigleph from another dimension, with nothing seeming particularly out of the ordinary about it. After asking around for a bit, all signs of unusual activity led to the residential district, more specifically the Frerès apartment building, so that's where they decided to investigate first. Upon getting there and opening the door the group was greeted by a cat bolting past them towards the street, visibly startling Leia and Elle who both jumped back and screamed in surprise.

"I guess the cat-loving lady exists in this dimension too," Leia laughed nervously trying to shrug off her sudden outburst. Alvin thought about teasing her about it but decided not to risk feeling the wrath of her staff so early into their mission.

Once inside, Ludger stopped right next to the mailing lockers by the entrance and called for everyone's attention. "We should split and look for any signs of the divergence catalyst. Leia and I will cover the first and second floors, Alvin and Gaius take care of the rest. If you find anything send us a text on our GHS, is that okay?"

Alvin sent him a glare ever so slightly. _Aren't you smart, leaving me to deal with His Highness all by myself?_

He had to admit the choice made sense, though. He and Ludger had more familiarity with the buildings in Elympios than Leia and Gaius overall, so finding the catalyst should be faster than ever. He wondered a bit more about Ludger's intentions when his internal monologue was interrupted by something sharp hitting his side. Leia's elbow missed the "getting his attention discreetly" movement a couple notches, making him gasp and arch in pain instead, but luckily for them their other companions didn't seem to notice. 

"Good luck, Alvin. Don't miss our big chance, okay?" she whispered eyeing up Gaius as she walked past them, following Ludger down the hallway. _Huh. Is she expecting me to make friends with the king and tell her all the juicy details afterwards? Because I definitely don't feel like it._ They might have been working together for a while now but that didn't make being around his presence any less intimidating. Crossing swords with him the year before was more than enough and Alvin felt shivers run down his spine as he imagined what would happen should he get on the king's bad side.

"Is there something on my face?" Gaius inquired as he crossed his arms in the empty hallway, suddenly breaking the silence between them.

_Shit, I must have been staring._

"Not at all!" Alvin quickly waved his arms with a smile, "Just wondering if... If you've ever visited a traditional Elympios residence, that's all".

"Ah. I see," Gaius nodded, expression softening as a smile made its way into his lips. "Actually, no, I haven't. But I've been curious about it for a while."

"I could show you around so let's get this investigation started, shall we?"

"Very well."

 _Great. Crisis averted._ Putting that aside, they followed to the elevators and into the third floor. Once again, nothing seemed out of the ordinary: Most doors were locked and the people they met along the way didn't seem to notice anything unusual around the building. Moreover, it's not like he had that many interesting things to show his current investigation partner in the first place, unless he had any particular interests on laundry lockers and cleaning rooms, of course. That was when an idea crossed his mind and he found himself stopping in front of one of the doors while Gaius distractedly checked out the view at the windows by the end of the hall.

"Isn't this Ludger's place?"

Reaching out for the door and turning the knob experimentally revealed that it was locked as expected, but it's not like that was a problem for a former Exodus spy. Shielding the door from Gaius's view as much as he could, aiming the spyrix in his sword at the lock and giving it a little tweak was all it took to break it.

"Hey, Gaius," Alvin opened the door in one smooth movement, gesturing the other to follow him inside.

"How convenient. Perhaps we could take a look?" A faint hint of excitement was obvious in his voice as he approached the apartment's entrance, realizing his partner's intentions. More because he wanted to check out an Elympion house rather than look for any divergence catalysts, most likely.

The first thing they noticed when stepping inside was that nobody seemed to be home. _I'll have to apologize for the intrusion later,_ Alvin thought to himself, though deep down he knew he didn't have to bother since this whole dimension would be destroyed pretty soon anyway. Oblivious to his worries, Gaius seemed entertained enough on his own, stopping by the kitchen and checking out Ludger's cooking utensils with interest. Grabbing one of them and walking towards Alvin, he probably planned on asking what it was but as he soon as he opened his mouth to speak the other man raised his arm abruptly as if telling him to stop, voice suddenly sounding serious.

"Hold on a second. Do you hear that?"

Alvin turned around to face him and narrowed his eyes, focusing on their surroundings. The sudden silence did reveal sounds he hadn't noticed before. Coming from the room farther on the left he could barely distinguish muffled voices, faint whimpers in the distance.

"Don't tell me- the divergence catalyst?" Gaius questioned in alarm, immediately reaching for his sword. "It must have gone berserk and attacked someone. We should proceed immediately".

Unsheathing the long katana the man strode for the door but halted as Alvin aggressively grabbed his arm, not worrying about the piercing glare he received for interrupting the king's actions.

"Hold on a minute" the ex-mercenary started, clearly making an effort to keep his voice low and urging His Highness to do the same. "What if whatever is inside jump at us the moment we open the door? Let's check out what's going on first."

Gaius let out a frustrated puff of air but seemed to have accepted the suggestion, slowly lowering his weapon and quietly following him to the door. As Alvin grabbed it carefully, it gave way with no further resistance.

"Unlocked, huh..."

Opening it just enough to sneak a peak in, two figures could be seen by the bed across the room. Widening his eyes at the sight and jumping back from the door almost immediately, a disgusted sound left his throat.

Much to his horror, as it happened so fast it was like the image had burned into his eyes. The light inside was dim but a quick glance was all it took to figure out what was going on. The larger figure was laying down on all fours, face pressed into the mattress. Judging by the short ginger hair Alvin could immediately recognize him as Julius, white coat rolled up into his back and pants still hanging on one of his legs. That, along with the rhythmic rocking of his hips and the hand pumping _something_ unseen between his legs left him no doubts that the previously heard whimpers had a different meaning to them entirely. They had without a doubt just caught Ludger's younger brother getting it on with someone-- And that someone had a firm hold on hips, controlling their movements in a restless pace. He still had most of his clothes on except at the place where they were both connected and the realization of the man's identity made his stomach drop. He'd be able to recognize that figure from miles away. Strong shades of purple, long dark hair...

"Rideaux? _Seriously?_ " Alvin muttered in disbelief. Any other time one would have assumed that the two of them hated each other's guts but it seems there was a lot more going on between them- in this dimension, anyway. "Now there's something I wish I had never seen" he complemented the thought, shaking his head.

Snapping out of it for a moment made him he realize the urgency of the situation they were now in. Luckily enough their presence hadn't been noticed, but since any suspicions about the catalyst had been cleared, they needed to get out of there. Fast. While looking for Gaius across the room his eyes widened in shock for the second time that day as he found him still looking through the breech in the door, literally having to pull him away and drag him out of the apartment in a panic. 

After they were finally out, Alvin wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the face his companion was making. Gaius was clearly confused, sometimes opening his mouth to speak but closing it afterwards, lost in thought. Meanwhile, the brunette next to him started wishing he never agreed to join this particular 'fractured dimension expedition' in the first place, and after standing there cursing his luck for a while the elevator doors at the end of the corridor opened, Leia stepping out of it and running to them in a hurry.

"Guys, what happened? We've been sending you texts for a while now! The divergence catalyst is on the second floor!"

Oh. Great. After all that's happened he didn't even bother checking his GHS. After muttering a quick apology they rushed back into the elevator, ready to help Ludger on the battle that was sure to follow.

"So that's what the little flashing lights meant on this device? Indications of a message? I noticed as soon as we entered the apartment but I'd never be able to tell," Gaius laughed to himself after making his inability to deal with spyrix devices public once again. Alvin returned the laugh sarcastically but the smile immediately left his lips giving way to a deep frown the moment he turned his face away from his friends' sight. _God, I can't believe I have to deal with this kind of thing._

* * *

Defeating the catalyst was easy enough. They should have figured out the moment they stepped into the building that the cat-loving lady had something to do with it, really. Ludger changing into his cromatus form and destroying the catalyst put an end to their mission, and after the familiar sensation of having their surroundings shatter around them they were back to Trigleph from the prime dimension.

Ludger and Elle exchanged goodbyes as they left, visibly grateful for the help. Leia followed them soon afterwards, suddenly remembering she had important work due the next day before deciding to join them on this little dimension-hopping adventure. Alvin was ready to call it a day too and forget everything that happened but wasn't aware just yet that things wouldn't be that easy as he turned around to leave, waving goodbyes.

"Alvin," Gaius's voice coming from behind him froze him in place. "About what he saw back then... Inside Ludger's apartment..."

 _Is he going to talk about it? Honestly, that guy might be the king but he sure can act clueless sometimes._ In a way, it reminded him of a certain lord of spirits they both knew very well.

 _Fine, no matter what his point is I can explain how we should just forget about it and move on with our lives for as long as it takes._ The ex-mercenary turned around as casually as he could manage then, feigning interest in whatever Gaius had to say.

"Is that- a common practice in Elympios? A cultural tradition perhaps?"

_What._

Alvin blinked a few times, dumbstruck. That question certainly wasn't among the list of things he had been expecting.

"I- What? No. Definitely no."

"I've always thought that sort of-" Gaius trailed off trying to settle for a word, even though they both knew very well what it was. Clearing his throat, His Highness tried again. "I've always thought that this kind of intercourse happened between a man and a woman, so I've been wondering if the people in Elympios had a different opinion on the subject, maybe?"

His face remained as serious as ever and he stared at the other man with curiosity. Alvin on the other hand was visibly taken aback by the subject. _That guy can't be serious._ So many years living sheltered in his castle might have made him way more oblivious to the world than he had originally assumed. When he finally found it in him to answer it was clear that the 'cool' and 'laid back' image he always tried to maintain was gone entirely.

"It should go without saying but I'm pretty sure that sort of thing is not exclusive to Elympios." Now he was the one trailing off, scratching his head and turning his face away from the man in front of him. This wasn't the sort of thing he'd ever expect to be discussing with the king of Rieze Maxia.

"It's just a matter of- personal preferences, that's all."

"I see". His Highness looked down and brought a hand to his chin, lost in thought again. After contemplating for a while his eyes found Alvin's again, still looking legitimately serious.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you share that sort of... Preference?"

 _Oh my god. This can't be happening._ Alvin sighed in defeat. There was no running away from those inquiring eyes. _Just answer what he wants to hear and hope that this will all be over soon, right?_

"What can I say? I have a big heart. Some people happen to like it both ways." The answer accompanied a wink, as Alvin was gladly able to regain some of his self-composure back. It's not like he kept that a secret after all, even though it still felt kind of awkward to be sharing details of his private life with someone he didn't know very well. Upon hearing his reply Gaius quickly nodded as if he had just decided on something. Shortly after the hand on his chin left to grab Alvin's own and that penetrating gaze was back on him, more intense than ever.

"Then I want you to show me how it's done."

"What?!" Alvin turned pale and quickly tried removing his hand from His Highness' grasp, but he seemed determined on not letting go.

"I believe I have told you already that I want to get closer to the common folks by engaging on their everyday activities, have I not?"

"What are you even-"

"I said I want to try doing it! With you," he openly announced as if it was no big deal, perhaps a bit louder than he should have. Alvin looked around in a panic as the people passing on the street glanced at them suspiciously. Desperately thinking of a way to fix the situation, he reached an arm around Gaius's shoulders in the same way he did to Jude so many times in the past, laughing as loud as he could.

"Sure, sure. It'd be great to do business with you! Satisfying costumers is my number one motto," he proclaimed in an exaggerated manner. Hopefully that would be enough to fool whoever heard them. Taking his arm off the king's shoulders and urging him to walk across the street, Alvin didn't make any efforts to hide his annoyance when he spoke again.

"Look, if you're really interested in something like that I know a few places. Some people there could hook you up and-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Gaius's voice was firm as he interrupted Alvin's indelicate proposition, the sudden halt of their walk an indication that it had offended him. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of such thing".

Alvin's eyes twitched ever so slightly at the sound of that word. Turning his head away and hoping the other man didn't notice, he also couldn't help a bitter laugh from escaping his lips. "And yet you'd trust me of all people?"

Gaius did not reply but the answer could be seen in his eyes. After a long sigh, he grabbed Gaius by the arm and once again they were making their way through Trigleph's main streets. _God, if I got one gald for every ridiculous situation Jude's crew put me into I'm sure I'd never have to worry about being a salesman in the first place..._

"Where are we going?" Gaius raised an eyebrow but didn't make any efforts to free himself.

"My place."

**Author's Note:**

> Even though I have no experience with writing something involving these two HAD to be done. When this idea crossed my mind I knew I had to find a way to put it into words somehow, so... these are the results so far. Thanks a lot for reading.
> 
> Sadly, I had another chapter on the way but it's gone with my old HD now. Sorry. Maybe one day I'll try it again...!


End file.
